My experience tonight...

Okay, some of you know from facebook that I had an experience tonight that, I feel, has changed my life!! I'm not sure why it has affected me so deeply, but I'm really trying hard to hold the emotion back as I type this! I met a woman tonight that is a burn victim! I don't know how it happened, I didn't ask, but almost every inch of her body is covered in scars! She is missing all of her fingers on one hand and on the other, she just has two stubs left from her index finger and middle finger. She has no nose and no lips. I could tell that she had applied lipstick to where her lips would have been!! I cannot fathom the amount of pain that she must have gone through and what a long road her recovery must have been and having to live with a constant reminder of the awful event, whatever it was, every time she looks in the mirror! I didn't know her at all before her accident, but someone I know said she knew here and said that she was absolutely beautiful! I still feel like she is beautiful and I really hope she feels that way too! I just burst into tears after meeting her because how often have I felt so critical of myself because I had a zit or because I've gained some weight or because of the stretch marks I got because of being pregnant!! None of that matters to me anymore! In that split second I decided that I love myself no matter what and I think that I am pretty great no matter what my size or whether I have makeup on or not! I forgot to mention that this woman was so upbeat and positive and seems to have taken this trial and this burden that she has been given and made the best of it! Why can't I be that way too? She is not married, and I'm sad to think that she may never be because no one will be able to get past the outside appearance that she now has and see what's inside! I am so grateful to have such an amazing husband and I never want to take him for granted! I am so grateful right now especially of the knowledge that I have of the gospel that we will be resurrected! I can't wait for this woman's resurrection! How amazing it will be for her to let go of that earthly pain that she has had to deal with for so long! Gosh, I am so emotional over this! I just feel like her spirit must be pretty special for the Lord to feel like she would be able to handle this sort of burden! I feel so blessed in my life! I have trials and I know I will have many more, but I know that the Lord wont give me anything that I can't handle! Anyway, I hope that this post has touched some of you the same way that having this experience has touched me! We are all daughters of God and we are BEAUTIFUL no matter what!!